Probably the most rewarding and powerful change for working class women took place in their relationships with other women. "Working-class women's life in the tenements and on the street drew them into a community of women (Woloch, Women 95)." Banded together working-class women resisted the middle-class imposition of the "women's sphere". "Heavily involved in the lives of neighbors and acquaintances, they were usually gossiping, borrowing, lending, providing services, or seeking them (Woloch, Women 95)." As the Lowell girls exhibited women banded together could be a powerful tool in challenging traditional hierarchies of power.
It appears that African American women were still primarily grouped by race rather than gender. Even during the abolition, female abolitionists may deny attendance of African American Women. These denied did however form their own anti-slavery societies (Woloch, Women 126). While white members of abolitionary groups continued to gather for women's rights, African American women were bound to securing freedom and supporting a future for their families.
Works Cited
Berkin, Carol and Norton, Mary Beth. "Women of America: A History". Early American Women: A Cocumentary History, 1600-1900. Ed. Nancy Woloch. McGraw Hill, New York. 2002
Campbell, Helen. "Darkeness and Daylight: Lights and Shadows of New York Life." Early American Women: A Cocumentary History, 1600-1900. Ed. Nancy Woloch. McGraw Hill, New York. 2002
Dublin, Thomas. "Women, Work, and Protest in the Early Lowell Mills: The Oppressing Hand of Avarice Would Enslave Us." Women and Power in American History. Volume One: To 1880. (second edition). Ed. Kathryn Kish Sklar and Thomas Dublin. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2002
Eaton, Isabel "Special Report on Negro Domestic Service in the Seventh Wad, Philadelphia." Early American Women: A Documentary History, 1600-1900. Ed. Nancy Woloch. McGraw Hill, New York. 2002
Woloch, Nancy (editor). 2002 Women and the American Experience: A Concise History (second edition). McGraw Hill, New York
It appears that African American women were still primarily grouped by race rather than gender. Even during the abolition, female abolitionists may deny attendance of African American Women. These denied did however form their own anti-slavery societies (Woloch, Women 126). While white members of abolitionary groups continued to gather for women's rights, African American women were bound to securing freedom and supporting a future for their families.
Works Cited
Berkin, Carol and Norton, Mary Beth. "Women of America: A History". Early American Women: A Cocumentary History, 1600-1900. Ed. Nancy Woloch. McGraw Hill, New York. 2002
Campbell, Helen. "Darkeness and Daylight: Lights and Shadows of New York Life." Early American Women: A Cocumentary History, 1600-1900. Ed. Nancy Woloch. McGraw Hill, New York. 2002
Dublin, Thomas. "Women, Work, and Protest in the Early Lowell Mills: The Oppressing Hand of Avarice Would Enslave Us." Women and Power in American History. Volume One: To 1880. (second edition). Ed. Kathryn Kish Sklar and Thomas Dublin. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2002
Eaton, Isabel "Special Report on Negro Domestic Service in the Seventh Wad, Philadelphia." Early American Women: A Documentary History, 1600-1900. Ed. Nancy Woloch. McGraw Hill, New York. 2002
Woloch, Nancy (editor). 2002 Women and the American Experience: A Concise History (second edition). McGraw Hill, New York
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